New York beats Boston again

The New York Yankees have come all the way back, winners of eight straight, and are now just one game back of the Boston Red Sox.

Boston (60-45) is two games behind first-place Tampa Bay (61-42), which won 5-3 in Kansas City on Saturday night.

New York (58-45) has not lost since the All-Star break, and have won the first two of their weekend series against their long-time nemesis at Fenway Park.

On Friday night, it was Joba Chamberlain and Mariano Rivera shutting down the Bosox 1-0.

Saturday afternoon, it was a 10-3 romp as Robinson Cano (3 hits, HR, 3 RBIs) and Andy Pettitte (6 IP, 1 ER, 7 K's) proved to be the difference.

Bobby Abreu added a key two-run double in a four-run sixth which broke open a tense 3-2 contest.

The Yankees suddenly find themselves one game behind Boston for second in the AL East and also for the wild card lead, continuing their tradition of being a second-half team.

Last season, New York was horrendous in the first half but rallied to take the AL wild card over Seattle and Detroit, and even gave Boston a scare by getting back into the divisional race.

The Yanks have already made a move this weekend, acquiring outfielder Xavier Nady and reliever Damaso Marte from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Both saw action on Saturday afternoon; Nady was in the starting lineup and went 0-for-3 with a walk, while Marte struck out Red Sox slugger David Ortiz in relief.

Will the Red Sox make a move before the July 31st non-waiver trading deadline?

Is it time yet for Sean Crowe and the Red Sox nation to panic?

Despite the fact I dislike the Yankees, I have to applaud them for making it all the way back the way things went in the first half: The Chien-Ming Wang injury and the problems in the rotation, the controversy about how to best use Chamberlain, Giambi's slump early on, the losses of Jorge Posada, Johnny Damon, and Hideki Matsui, and on and on.

I'll say this: if one team finishes a game or two out, be it the first-place Tampa Bay Rays, the Red Sox, or the Yankees, I'll have no sympathy.

Any one of those teams could have picked up Barry Bonds, but have chosen not to. So, whoever doesn't make the postseason, that's their problem.

Boston, we have a problem !

So, suddenly Boston has lost two straight, while Tampa and New York have each gone 2-0. Should be panic time in Beantown for many die-hard Bosox fans... Wonder what Rick and Cliff think about it...

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/39298-boston-we-have-a-problem

Googling one's own name

Well! I was googling my own name and I found out that one of my posts was featured on FOX Sports!

http://msn.foxsports.com/mlb/story/8297618

This was a piece I wrote at the start of July looking at the Rays-Red Sox series.

Yeehaw!

Sexson Bashing...

Richie Sexson was finally released by the Seattle Mariners today. It was about time! Here are my thoughts on Bleacher Report:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/36723-richie-sexson-no-longer-a-mariner-finally

Good riddance, Richie Sexson is finally gone.

The Seattle Mariners, the worst team in the American League, finally released light-hitting first baseman Sexson, who had signed a four-year, $50-million contract in December 2004 to play in the Emerald City.

Baseball fans outside of Seattle no doubt think Sexson did his job his first two seasons until having a career-worst, .205, 21-homer campaign in 2007.

Please.

That could not be further from the truth.

Yes, Sexson hit 39 homers in 2005, his first Mariner season, and clubbed another 34 the next year. Yes, Sexson finished in the Top 15 in AL MVP voting in '05. Then he followed that up by driving in over 100 runs and hitting above .260 for the second straight year.

Those, however, were not clutch seasons by any means.

In fact, in 2005, Sexson was hitting in the .220s in mid-May as the Mariners slumped big time out of the gate, losing 10 of 11 in one stretch during the month and fell right out of the race early. By May 31st, Seattle was already 9 1/2 games out.

On June 14, 2006, Sexson's batting average plummeted to an embarrassing .202. (Adrian Beltre, another prized signing in December 2004, was hitting just .234 at that time, but that's another story.)

Thanks to Ichiro Suzuki, however, the M's were still in contention despite a sub-.500 record, only 4 1/2 out in the AL West.

A late-season surge helped Sexson finish .264 in '06--he even teased everyone by bashing five homers and four doubles with a .382 average in the final nine games of the year--but the Mariners ended 15 games out.

So, those who don't live in Seattle and think Richie Sexson was unjustifiably booed don't know the whole story.

2007 was a total disaster, as his average was never higher than .231 after the first week of the season. He actually hit homers in the first two games of the year as Seattle went 2-0.

Sexson had five RBIs in those two games.

And then the wheels simply fell off after that. It got so bad that Sexson was hitting just .196 in early August, at a time when Seattle was 60-47 and only a half-game behind the Detroit Tigers for the wild card lead and 2 1/2 out of first in the West.

Had Sexson contributed, wouldn't the M's have run away with the division? (Yes I know, Seattle actually led the wild card on August 24th, a single game behind the Los Angeles Angels in the West, before a nine-game skid and 1-13 streak sunk the team, but still...)

Richie Sexson just didn't live up to expectations at all with the Mariners.

And now he's finally gone. Good riddance.

Bashing....

Sundin Bashing, Cujo bashing
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/34224-nhl-talk-blackhawks-dive-into-free-agency-sign-campbell-and-huet

Randy Johnson & Griffey bashing
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/34234-johnson-vs-bonds-shouldnt-the-big-unit-get-the-same-criticisms

Sexson & Beltre bashing
http://mvn.com/mlb-bluejays/2008/07/02/jays-let-one-get-away-lose-7-6-to-ms/
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/34228-the-jesse-litsch-curse

A-Rod bashing
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/34345-a-rod-to-miss-home-run-derby

Happy Canada Day...

Well well well, it's Canada Day, and there are people who complain about this country.

- People just complain about the Booster Seat law even though it's supposed to be safe for their children. Go figure.
- Yes, and there are once again those who complain about the high gas prices. Yawn.

You know what, I applaud the Washington State law that came into affect today. You cannot hold a cellphone while driving. Common Sense 101. Glad to see some lawmakers pass that law, which should be applicable everywhere to begin with.

Postcard for False Ex-Pectations

This is the postcard for False Ex-Pectations.

Thanks to all of you who've signed up for the Facebook group under this title.

Many thanks!

My take on Chacon

Here's my take on Shawn Chacon vs. Sidney Ponson, published on Bleacher Report.

Thanks guys!

Well, things that a few people have said this week have inspired me to work on my new story idea.

Thanks to Rick Jessup, Amie Lo, and Farhan Devji for things that they've said in the last few days. These are just the positive comments I pay attention to and strive to achieve.

Especially to Jessup, the funny dude from Overanything.com, who gave me a brilliant idea for my next fiction.

Sully sure called it!

Wow, this blogger, Sully, sure called it when he said the Blue Jays should bring back Cito Gaston:
http://sullybaseball.blogspot.com/2008/06/blue-jay-fans-why-not-bring-back-cito.html

Great blog! This piece on Armando Benitez is classic!
http://sullybaseball.blogspot.com/2007/04/quick-trade-bentez.html

New Ad on Buses

So, there's been a new ad on buses.

It says something like "New changes to [the bus system], improvements starting June 23rd," yada yada yada. Also, on the left, it has a picture of a car being listed for sale.

The gist of the ad is basically, there'll be improved services on the bus system, so everyone might as well just take transit. And if so, might as well sell their cars too, since everyone will not need their own vehicles anymore.

Well, nice thought. Unfortunately, that's not how the world works.

I can go around and talk to people randomly; if you say you don't have a car, most would look at you like you're a loser.

Listening to what Allison says, for example, echos that fact. It's like, if you don't have a car, then you pretty much fail in life.

Well, seems to be that there are a lot more Allisons out there than necessary.

Which makes me wonder: why does Allison want to take the bus then?
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
I recently saw something on the Chinese drama "Trimming Success"--a story about a hair stylist (Jason) and his father's love-hate relationship--which makes me think it's possible to leave some important details out of the plot.

In one of the middle episodes, they were going back and forth between several scenes. Jason and his girlfriend were admiring the sunset on a mountain. Jason's dad, a traditional barber himself, was at work when he suddenly feels sick. Meanwhile, Jason's mom was crossing the street along with other pedestrians.

Next thing you know, Jason got a phone call and rushed to the morgue.

Jason's mom is dead--apparently run over by a car when she was crossing the street earlier.

Nothing is mentioned in any of the scenes as to how she actually died; the viewers are left to guess what had actually happened.

The only logical scenario was she'd been run over.

The odd thing is nobody investigated the death; no one in the family blamed anybody (other than themselves) for the death and there was no police report of any kind.

Everyone in the family was sad, that was it. Jason, his brother, and father, all were severely saddened and affected by the loss.

After all, the story was set in a small tight-knit village in Hong Kong, where everyone knows each other. So, without any reference to how Jason's mom died, the story seemed to lacking something basic.

How can Jason's mom--a beloved character in that village--be dead and no one mentioned how she'd died?

Thus, a story could basically having something important missing from the plot... good to know.

By the way, I'm not knocking the drama series; I'm just pointing out the obvious. In fact, I watched every episode of it.

Wouldn't you know it...Johnson's the hero, Rolen's not.

This has been posted on http://mvn.com/mlb-bluejays/
What do the friends on OA (House, Cliff, Rick, the fish) think about this J.P. and Rolen bashing? Discuss.

The Blue Jays fell 6-2 to the Chicago Cubs at Rogers Centre on Saturday, thanks to a former friend’s big three-run blast.

That would be ex-Blue Jay, Reed Johnson, who clubbed a three-run shot off Toronto ace Roy Halladay in the second inning.

Of course, Johnson was released in March thanks to the signing of Shannon Stewart, and he then signed on with the Cubbies.

In yesterday’s post, I’d already outlined the contributions of Stewart on this Jays team, so I’m not going to rehash it here.

But now it’s all clear: the man who made all these baseball decisions, trades, and so on, has to be held accountable.

That man would be general manager J.P. Ricciardi.

There is no way that a team with this much pitching depth should be just a .500 club after 70 games.

Of course, the Jays have the misfortune of playing in the AL East, where the Boston Red Sox are ahead of Toronto by 7 games, pending the outcome of the Boston-Cincinnati game.

The Blue Jays are in last place.

In Saturday’s game, Vernon Wells left after the seventh inning with an apparent wrist injury.

If this injury proves to be serious, the Jays are finished.

If the Jays still had Reed Johnson and Troy Glaus, and Frank Thomas, wouldn’t they be a better ballclub?

It’s all on the G.M.

How much longer can this team continue without a major shakeup?

J.P. Ricciardi has to go. None of his moves have really panned out. Lyle Overbay and A.J. Burnett haven’t worked out.

Overbay isn’t the worst first baseman in baseball, but come on? Just five homers and a .260 average?

Burnett, a .500 pitcher with that ugly ERA (4.90)?

And I haven’t talked about Scott Rolen yet.

The Jays were down 6-0 heading into the eighth, with Jason Marquis tossing a one-hitter.

The Jays, however, collected three straight singles to load the bases with none out, chasing Marquis in favor of Carlos Marmol.

Marmol got two straight strikeouts, before Matt Stairs walked on a 3-2 pitch to force in a run. Shutout broken.

Rolen, the No. 3 hitter, had a chance to make things interesting, but once again, could not deliver in the clutch.

Rolen hit a very easy popup to second, and the inning was over.

And the kicker? Kevin Mench, who subbed for the ailing Wells, tripled leading off the ninth.

What if Rolen had gotten a big hit in the eighth to prolong the inning and give Mench a shot?

Thanks a lot, Rolen.

I blame J.P. Ricciardi for this one. He was the one who acquired this star third baseman and No. 3 hitter.

Rolen finally hits one out

I'd originally posted this on http://mvn.com/mlb-bluejays/
What do the friends on OA (House, Rick, Cliff, the fish) think about this Rolen bashing? Discuss. And what do you think about Shulman? I personally disagree with a lot of the stuff he says, by the way, including his contention that the steroid issue in baseball > the alleged game-fixing situation in basketball.

Scott Rolen finally hit one out. Good riddance.

The Blue Jays third baseman ended 32-game homerless streak with a solo blast in the third inning, as Toronto edged the visiting Chicago Cubs 3-2.

Rolen’s blast came right after Matt Stairs had given the Jays a 2-0 lead with a clout of his own, a two-run job.

It was the first time Toronto had connected for back-to-back dingers this season, and the first time that the Blue Birds have had two homers in the same inning.

Though A.J. Burnett was shaky in his five-plus innings, he was much better compared to his last start versus Baltimore (8 R, 4.1 IP), and picked up his sixth win to even his record at 6-6. Even B.J. Ryan got the job done on this night, notching save No. 14.

But how about that Rolen-for-Troy Glaus swap now?

I don’t care what anyone says; despite the fact Rolen had been hitting .300 for much of the season before seeing it dip under in the last couple days, the Jays’ new third sacker and No. 3 hitter has been a bust.

Say what you want about his defense, but this ballclub needs someone who can hit the long balls and drive in big runs. The Jays have been struggling all year long in one-run ballgames and with driving runners across. And they can’t just rely on Vernon Wells alone.

Meanwhile, over in St. Louis, Glaus has been healthy all year long, missing only one game this season while being productive in the fifth spot in the Cardinals’ lineup.

Heading into Friday’s action, Glaus was hitting .262 with 8 homers and 40 RBIs in 229 at-bats for the Red Birds.

Rolen? After fracturing his right middle finger during spring training, Rolen missed the first few weeks before returning in late April. Yes, Rolen made a huge splash with his first home run in his third game. For good measure, he even added another over a week later.

But then no home runs for over a month–until Friday night. Rolen’s numbers going in: .293 with 2 home runs and only 16 RBIs in 157 ABs.

Unacceptable.

The Cards have gotten the better of the deal so far.

And what about Frank Thomas? Released by the Jays early in the season, Thomas rebounded and hit .319 with 4 homers in a month’s worth of action for the A’s before landing on the DL at the end of May.

Thomas’ success out in Oakland coincided with the Jays’ winning ways in May, but if Big Frank hadn’t been injured and had continued hitting for the A’s in June, once again the release would have looked real bad for Toronto.

Reed Johnson? Deemed expendable following the signing of Shannon Stewart, Johnson was released before the season began. While Johnson (.267, 2 HR), now with the Cubs, didn’t make an impact in this Chicago-Toronto tilt on Friday (he was sent in to pinch-hit in the ninth), he is at least active.

Stewart is now on the DL, and is expected to be gone at least a month, and was hitting just .240 with a homer before his ankle injury. Oddly enough, the timing of Stewart’s injury came just as Wells was coming off the disabled list.

Interestingly, former Blue Jays broadcaster Dan Shulman was quoted as saying the release of Thomas was the right thing to do given his attitude and the fact the DH was no longer an everyday player.

I could not disagree more.

The reality is the Jays need at least another bat in the lineup to protect Wells.

Rolen isn’t getting the job done with the long ball. Stairs is getting up there in age, and the Jays can’t expect him to do much more than what he’s been giving them so far.

Without those dumb moves in the Rolen deal or releases, this Jays team should be contending for the wild card, especially given the fact they boast the majors’ third-best ERA (3.49) and have the best rotation in baseball.

The Barry Bonds thing isn’t going to happen, so I don’t understand what direction this team is heading in. The Jays are way better than their 35-34, 6 1/2-game back, record indicates.

And I’m going to blame Rolen for this.

Is his next homer going to come in another month?

Proposed Cover for Rainbow Trout

Book: Sports Bashing 2007-08

Well, Rick J. and Cliff have received my signed copy of "The Best (and Worst) of KP's Sports Bashing, 2007-08: A book dedicated to House, Jessup, Ambrozic, and Friends on OA"; thus, I am finally posting the book info on here.

As for House, well, I don't have his contact info, so I couldn't send him a copy.

Not sure if House wants one, but this idea came about when both House and Jessup challenged me to bash the Devils and other teams.

Jessup made this comment in one of my posts before:

Allow me to reiterate - GO HAWKS! I feel with the excellent team of young superstars, and the crushing defeat of the Vancouvers, that I can safely come out of the closet as a Blackhawks fan again. KP, do you take requests? Perhaps some Flames, Oilers, or Canadiens hating is in order?

So, House and Jessup deserve all the credit for this idea.

http://www.lulu.com/content/2557046,
http://www.lulu.com/content/2554603

Where is Rainbow Trout?

Well, oddly enough, I liked my story "Rainbow Trout" the best because I had a lot of action going on with several characters. But actually, it may be the worst - because after looking at the editor's notes, I still need to do a lot of revision. This will prove to be the most revising needed out of all the things I've ever done.

Not to say I'm knocking the other two stories "Sweet Innocence" and "False Ex-Pectations", but I thought "Rainbow Trout" was my best. So far.

Well, back to the revisions. I won't be done for a day or so.

Speaking of fish, how about the Marlins and Rays? Amazing stories so far in 2008.

Scott Kazmir, who was on the DL to start the year for Tampa Bay, lost badly in his first game of the year against Boston, but has rebounded nicely to win five straight. Incredible.

And the Marlins just win despite having the lowest payroll in the game.

I just don't see a Fla-TB World Series though... but good job so far. They should be applauded.

KC Bashing on Bleacher, Marcum "gem" on MVN

The Royals snapped their 12-game losing streak on Saturday, but the team is a joke. See the "KC Bashing" on Bleacher: http://www.bleacherreport.com/articles/26455-MLB-Whose-bubble-will-burst-next-Will-it-be-the-Kansas-City-Royals--310508

Meanwhile, kudos to Shaun Marcum for another gutsy performance, albeit in a Blue Jays loss. Go to MVN's "Jays' Nest with KP" for the recap: http://mvn.com/mlb-bluejays/2008/05/31/marcum-does-the-job-but-jays-lose/

Not really a bashing, but some thoughts on the Rockies. For a team that competed in the World Series less than a year ago, this has been a big fall. http://www.bleacherreport.com/articles/26310-Rockies-Rumors-Will-Colorado-Trade-Matt-Holliday--310508

From birds to fish: Jays Nest & Chasing Rainbow Trout

Alright! long time no post, but I'd been busy. Not too busy, today though, to post two pieces on MVN.com.

Check this out: http://mvn.com/mlb-bluejays/

Oh, right. I'd forgotten to mention that I'm a new co-writer for the Blue Jays on MVN.com. Hope you guys will check out my stuff, OA gang, and give feedback.

On another front, I've sent in "Chasing Rainbow Trout" to the publisher for editing. Will keep you informed with any other latest developments!

A special "shout-out" to the following people...

Akem
Candace
Conrad (ECHLCHI)
Farhan
Rick A.
Ryan (ECHLNYI)
Valerie

Thanks for your kind messages!

Lead Story Today!

This was featured on the home page of the publishing house today! Lead story! Way to go! Don't know how long this will last, but for now, No. 1!

http://www.cacoethespublishing.net/

Two books available...soon!

I think I've finally sorted out the problem with the postings from this blog being fed to Bleacher Report automatically.

So, no more such problems, I'm happy to say.

But in the meantime, some news out of my books. "Sweet Voice of Innocence" will be available in mid-June, though an e-book version of this is now available on http://www.cacoethespublishing.net/. It has been featured as one of the new books this month! Yay!

"False Ex-pectations" will come out a month after "Sweet Voice of Innocence", but as you can see, the cover has been done.

Great work by the graphic designers! Kudos!

Finally, KP Wee has his name on a couple of books. Mission accomplished!

With RJ out of the picture...

I'm the lead writer on OA! =)

No, seriously, I haven't had time to write on here or on Bleacher, for that matter! I've been spending more time on my manuscript instead... I've decided to use the words "Rainbow Trout" in my third ms.

We'll see how that goes!

And I must say, I was hugely impressed with the work of the graphic designer on the cover of my first manuscript. That one hit the ball way out of the park--to use a baseball reference!

(Haha, that was also the quote Alex used on Apprentice III when talking about the plexi-glass table that he and Bren came up with in the Staples project. Seemed like *I* was the only one amongst everyone I knew, that liked the product.)

In the meantime, I did post on www.overanything.com, so that'll hopefully stay there till RJ comes back!

Eat your heart out, Trout...

Eat your heart out, Trout!

I'm on Amazon!!

http://www.amazon.com/1991-Red-Baseball-Hockey-Memories/dp/1435713753/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1210742921&sr=8-1

Land of Opportunity

On Saturday, I attended a workshop and got an interesting perspective from the instructor.

No, it had nothing to do with the workshop content, but rather about Canada.

The instructor contended that she was appreciative of immigrating here (from England) because it gave her so many opportunities. Granted, she would be the first to admit that she'd come in a totally different era, but nonetheless, she claimed that you could do whatever you wanted in Canada if you had a goal and strived for it.

I would be one who agreed with that kind of sentiment, which is why I refuse to listen to sob stories that people tend to offer up. I mean, if you worked hard, you could be successful in life. So every time someone tries to be negative or complain excessively, I don't really sympathize with him or her.

Oh, say, this non-story, for example, that made headlines in Canada this past week. Seriously, am I supposed to feel sorry for the individual?

Don't know what the house mates on the zonk think, but that's just my two cents.

KP's Weekly Rant--I

Today, I had the chance to sit down at lunchtime at a pub and catch Headline Sports.

They were showing some hockey tournament featuring a Quebec team versus a Russian squad. Not sure what the tourney was, but it was certainly nice to see daytime hockey on a Friday.

The Quebec team jumped out to a 3-0 lead in the first period, with the third goal one of those you’d call either a fluke play or a highly-skilled one.

The play was in the Russian zone, and right off the face-off, the Quebecer taking the draw swiped the puck right off the draw and it got past the goaltender.

This kind of a goal doesn’t happen frequently, but is sure nice to see—and if you blinked or turned away for a split second thinking it’s just a face-off, you would have missed it.

Mario Lemieux has done it before in the NHL, along with several others.

The one I remember the most happened in the 1992 Adams semi-finals when Adam Oates turned the trick for the Bruins in overtime to give Boston a 3-2 triumph over the Sabres.

Classic play, classic game, and yet this is a game you won’t see on ESPN Classic.

Ironically, today, ESPN Classic (Canada) was showing the 1991 Wales Finals Game Five, a contest in which the Bruins lost 7-2 to Pittsburgh. The network is airing this game as part of its “classics replaying the day it happened” package, rebroadcasting the game which happened 17 years earlier to the day on May 9, 1991.

It’s just unfortunate that the network often shows games in which the Bruins got embarrassed and yet doesn’t air the ones in which Boston participated in during the same era. After all, this was a team that went to two Cup Finals in three seasons, and four Conference Finals in five years.

Shame—this is a pity, and something that I discussed to death in my book.

On a more positive note, Hooray for House, as I see he’s decided to pick Dallas and Philly too! This will be a matchup Bettman wouldn’t want, since a Detroit-Pittsburgh Finals would mean much better ratings. Way to go, House!

Blue Jays tie it!

Well, moments after I posted the 3-0 score, the Blue Jays tied things up against Tampa Bay in the last of the ninth with three runs off closer Troy Percival.

Jesse Litsch is off the hook!

Tough luck for the Rays' Edwin Jackson, though. Jackson has been either very good or very bad.

Three times this season, Jackson has allowed five runs or more, and the Rays lost all three of those games.

In his four other starts, Jackson has allowed one run or fewer--including tonight.

Against the Jays tonight, Jackson pitched a six-hit, eight-hit shutout, but will not pick up the win thanks to Percival's meltdown.

The Cain Watch Part 3 - May 8, 2008

Some pitchers just don't have any luck. Here's the third feature on Matt Cain of the San Francisco Giants.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/22075-Cain-gets-run-support-but-still-loses

Speaking of lack of run support, fittingly, as I am writing this, Jesse Litsch and the Jays are down 3-0 going into the last of the ninth against the Rays at Rogers Centre...

Marcum + Litsch = BJs contend for wild card?

Shaun Macum did the job once again on Wednesday night, picking up his 4th win of the year--tied with Jesse Litsch--and Toronto won for the sixth time in seven tries.

How about this young duo for the Blue Jays?

If both Marcum and Litsch continue to pitch this well and get the run support, and mix in Roy Halladay, shouldn't this team be contending for a wild card spot?

And Marcum was impressive for sure--in his previous start, he pitched shutout ball against the White Sox despite his sickness, and Wednesday he took a one-hitter into the ninth inning against the Rays. Impressive.

Here are my thoughts:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/21938-Toronto-Tampa-Bay-Shaun-Marcum-Comes-Up-Big-Against-the-Rays-070508

Where were all the zonk mates?

Well, I was trying to see if the regular house residents on the zonk (or, resident friends, as Rick calls it) were available on Tuesday night, but they all seemed to have their own things going on.

Saw Rick on MSN, but he didn't reply to my messages. Oh well.

Didn't see House or Cliff on FB either.

And the Trouts? Well, no idea how to contact them, but perhaps The Trout may not be that useful anyway, given its negativity at times.

Well, trying to round these guys up to give some feedback about the book cover I was assigned. But with no focus group of Rick, House, and/or Cliff around, I had to just go along with what the graphic designers proposed.

Though it would have been interesting if everyone else was around to give suggestions... oh well, maybe next time!

Update...after 2 rounds

Okay, two rounds are done, and Cliff was the big winner on our OA picks by nailing three of four series in the conference semi-finals.

Taking a look, though, at our friendly OA pool on Sportsnet, Cliff is tied with Slats (ie. Rick) for LAST place! Holy smokes, how is Slats in last place?

Will there be a comeback from the perennial champ? Or is he over the hill?

We'll find out.... but here are the standings:

1. kp 134 points
2. i_pick_corners 127
3. splatking 121
T4. slacks 120
T4. cliff 120

Am I getting tame? No ruthless comments on Crede

Joe Crede cost the White Sox two straight games at Rogers Centre. Somehow I decided not to take shots at the third baseman in my somewhat clean recap.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/21225-Blue-Jays-White-Sox-Litsch-wins-Crede-wears-goat-horns-again

Philly should have ...

Three NHL conference semi-final series saw the first three contests won by the same team, with the Pittsburgh Penguins, Dallas Stars, and Detroit Red Wings all going up 3-0 in their respective series.

Of course, the Red Wings polished off the Colorado Avalanche with ease to complete the sweep, while the Penguins and Stars both lost their fourth games and have to win one more to advance.

What about the Montreal-Philadelphia series?

The Flyers are up three games to one after winning three in a row following their Game One collapse.

Yes, the Habs have dominated the series, and with a few breaks could actually be up 3-1 instead.

In fact, there are some in the media who think the Habs have a chance to make a comeback, based on their strong play thus far.

However, my contention is that this series might well have been over already.

All four series should have been 3-0 after three games.

Don't forget, the Flyers jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in Game One, saw the Canadiens rally to tie it, before going back up early in the third thanks to Joffrey Lupul.

But a questionable penalty call late in regulation put the Habs on the power play, and the NHL's best PP team capitalized. Alexei Kovalev tied it with 28.6 ticks remaning, and Montreal went on to win in overtime.

If not for that collapse by Philadelphia, the series might well have ended in a sweep for the Flyers, as they've been riding the hot play of Martin Biron the entire series.

Also, the Flyers have gone up 2-0 in every single game thus far, forcing the Habs to have to play catchup in every game.

Of course, in the third game the Habs totally outplayed the Flyers and outshot them 34-14, including a 17-2 edge in the final 20 minutes, had a long power play thanks to Derian Hatcher's ejection, and still lost.

Still, give the Flyers a lot of credit. They've been able to win three games already, although it should have already been over.

We'll see what they can do when the series resumes Saturday at the Bell Centre.

Solving New York's problems...

I weigh in on why Bonds should be a Yankee.

And thanks to the Blue Jays (12-17), New York (14-16) isn't in last place--yet.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/20931-Why-Isn-t-Bonds-a-Yankee-Yet-

Rick's in third place!

Well, looks like Rick's slumping this year with his picks.

I'm leading the way right on the overanything pool with 110 points, followed closely by "I-Pick-Corners", trailing by four points.

Rick, aka "Slacks"? Third place with 102 points.

Haha! I wonder how Rick's taking it with bronze, and with Splatking (Detroit?) just one point back. Rick may not finish in the top three!

Sharks lose again!

Here's my editorial on the San Jose Sharks:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/20522-Sharks-going-down-like-92-93-Bruins

All right, zonk mates, no negative comments out of me this time around... ;-)

The Cain Watch Part 2 - April 29, 2008

The Giants' hard-luck Matt Cain finally wins for the first time this season, but his performance was overshadowed by his manager and teammate-starter-turned-reliever.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/20406-Giants-Matt-Cain-Finally-Wins-but-Victory-is-Overshadowed

I'll try to keep track of the "Cain Watch" on here regularly.

Alou Part 2

...By the way, as far as Alou's San Francisco career was concerned, I don't blame the Giants' failures in 2003 on the manager.

The Jints made it to the post-season after their 2002 World Series berth under former skipper Dusty Baker.

San Francisco would have beaten the Fish (haha, take that- Trout!) in the Division Series, but I blame two people:

- Sidney Ponson
- Jose Cruz, Jr.

Ponson was acquired down the stretch from the Orioles in order to provide an extra dependable arm to follow ace Jason Schmidt in the rotation. Ponson, however, was rocked in Game Two as the Marlins gained a split going to Miami.

Cruz, whom I'm sure all the zonk mates will remember since he's a former Blue Jay, was the goat in Game Three. He failed to get a hit with the bases loaded in the middle innings of the contest, and then dropped an easy fly ball in extra innings--with his team ahead by a run and three outs away from winning--and the Giants lost when Pudge Rodriguez hit a two-run single.

And the muff came after Cruz had failed to get a clutch hit to drive in an insurance run in the top half of the inning.

What do the Zonk House mates think about Felipe Alou?

Bruce Bochy of the San Francisco Giants moved past Felipe Alou as the winningest foreign-born manager in baseball when his team defeated Colorado 4-0.

Alou, of course, is not managing in the big leagues right now.

Most Zonk mates on OA know that Moises' dad used to be the Montreal Expos skipper during the 1990s, and often had to deal with a lack of talent on the big-league roster. Guys like Ken Hill, John Wetteland, Jeff Fassero, Mel Rojas, his own son Moises, Larry Walker, Pedro Martinez, and on and on, all left Montreal as free agents or via trades because the Expos couldn't afford to pay all of them.

Alou's Expos never made the post-season, although as most remember, they were the best team in baseball when the strike of 1994 wiped out the rest of the season. Then they lost Walker, Hill, Wetteland, and Marquis Grissom. Ouch.

Unfazed, Alou led the '96 Expos to within two games of winning the NL wild card, but unfortunately the Padres and Dodgers--who both finished two games better--won the NL West and wild card, respectively.

In 1997, they started out well but collapsed down the stretch when other teams--even the non-contending ones--were acquiring the big stars (ie. the Cards getting Mark McGwire) but the Expos were getting only the immortal Mike Johnson.

Some in the media have said that Alou was not a great manager for failing to win with the Expos. Most notable was Bob Kemp, who used to host his own show on Sporting News Radio, and he would often bash Alou for not being innovative with his lineups, etc. (And this was around 2001-2002, before Alou got the Giants gig.)

So, my question to House, Trout, Rick, and Cliff, is: Was Alou one of the elite skippers in the big leagues? Or was Bob Kemp accurate in his accessment?

Let's hear some answers on the zonk!

Seattle & Thomas bashing

Thomas is 1-for-10 for the A's. Seattle's DHing stinks. How long will each continue?
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/19976-A-s-Mariners-Bedard-Dominates-Oakland-allowing-two-hits

C i B c SUCKS!!!!!

Another one of these big companies trying to target ordinary people... and this isn't my own post; I saw it online and decided to post the link here. I was gonna say "unbelievable" at first, but then, hey, this is CIBC, so no surprise, actually. Shame.

http://www.shanesworld.ca/cibc-you-suck

History in Denver, NOT in San Diego

Well, zonk mates, history was made in Denver, as the Cubs got win No. 10,000. Out in San Diego, Trevor Hoffman blew Greg Maddux's 350th win, so no history there.

Hopefully no controversy with Thomas or Cliff this time!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/19470-Hoffman-Blows-Maddux-s-Bid-for-No-350-230408

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/19464-Chicago-Cubs-Baseball-Congratulations-for-getting-No-10-000-230408

Caps lose again!

Amazing--the Washington Capitals choke again.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/19234-Washington-Capitals-Playoff-Failures-Continue

More injustice in the world--Part 4

Well, posting this just to shut Rick up...

Last week, there was this big story about Telus and how they charged an extra $2.95 for residents in B.C. and Alberta for months and this was for long-distance services that people didn't use or sign up for. Wow.

Again, big companies trying to take money from people. Who can you trust these days?

Translink has these so-called "Fare Zones" on their buses now, but still, drivers are letting these scammers get on on a daily basis. (I see it with my own eyes on daily commutes.) A reader on the free daily "24 Hours" called Translink on that last week, wondering how come he gets to spend hundreds of dollars a month for a two-zone pass while drivers are letting these people get on for free.

So, on Friday night on the #16 downtown bus when transit cops got on and turned away at least a half dozen people, I couldn't help but find satisfaction. For one night, these people weren't allowed on.

"But it's raining," they protested. (Actually, oddly enough, it was snowing--in April, no less.) Tough luck. You don't want to pay for the service, you don't get to get on board.

And, in class again, I was showing a CBC consumer affairs program to encourage debates about street smarts and common sense for consumers. Apparently, one dating service in Ontario decided to charge 60-year-old women $9,000+ for 15 dates, but allowed that price to go down to by half for 35-year-olds, and get this: $2 for women 25 and under because they're reportedly more attractive.

NO, that's not a typo. A toonie.

And looking at the video footage, that dating service's "office" seemed to be a residential house. Well, it appeared to be, anyway.

This company would not budge on the $9,000 price tag for the 60-year-old interviewed on the program.

Welcome to our world of companies--big and small--and people--think of the buses--trying to cheat their way in society. Yikes.

My take on Giambi on Bleacher

Check it out, zonk mates:

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/18871-New-York-Baseball-Why-Is-Jason-Giambi-Still-in-the-Yankees-Lineup-

Thomas & Thomas (Bruins & Blue Jays) - invitation for House, Rick, Cliff, and the Trouts

Okay, the Boston Bruins won again on Saturday night and have tied their Eastern Conference Quarter-Finals with the Montreal Canadiens at three games apiece following a heart-stopping 5-4 triumph.

Incredibly, Montreal rookie Carey Price allowed four third-period goals for the second straight game, and five overall in back-to-back outings. Shades of the Bruins' Andrew Raycroft in the 2004 meltdown?

Not that the Bruins' Tim Thomas was stellar himself, allowing four goals, including a seemingly back-breaker with 10 minutes left (which gave the Habs a 3-2 lead) and another with 4:04 left, just 11 seconds after the B's had taken a 4-3 advantage.

But Boston-Montreal, Game Seven? Will the Bruins complete the shocking comeback, or will the Habs put an end to Boston's run?

Either way, Tim Thomas has been brilliant in the series. Had it not been for Thomas, the series might have been over in four straight.

Now on to another Thomas: designated hitter Frank Thomas of the Toronto Blue Jays.

I am curious to see what the other OA mates have to say about this (namely House, Rick, Cliff, and the Trouts).

The big story about the Blue Jays on Saturday wasn't about their 3-2 win at Rogers Centre over the Detroit Tigers.

Nope, it was that Frank Thomas was benched in favor of left-handed hitting Matt Stairs, who went 2-for-3 with a run scored in Thomas's usual No. 5 spot in the lineup against Detroit.

Thomas reportedly will see even less playing time in the immediate future.

Thomas, who has 516 lifetime home runs, is mired in a 4-for-35 slump and is batting just .167 with three dingers and 11 ribbies in 60 at-bats this season. Stairs is currently batting .333 with a homer and 3 RBIs in 42 at-bats.

Thomas reportedly didn't shake hands with his teammates after Saturday's contest and didn't stick around to speak to reporters, though he did express his anger prior to the game.

The Blue Jays denied that the decision to sit Thomas was due to the $10 million option for next season in his contract, which kicks in if the veteran DH reaches 376 plate appearances in 2008.

Is the benching of Thomas justified? After all, Thomas has been slumping (zero for his last 13), as had the Blue Jays.

However, all Thomas has to do is look over at the visitors' dugout and see that Tigers veteran Gary Sheffield, hitting just .192 this year, is continuing to be in the Detroit lineup.

Jason Giambi is hitting .116 with two homers for the New York Yankees, and of course the first baseman/DH still has a job.

And wasn't David Ortiz in Boston struggling too? The Red Sox DH cracked a grand slam on Friday night in Boston's 11-3 win over the Rangers, but is batting just .134. Ortiz was hitting a paltry .070 after the Red Sox-Yankees series last weekend.

I am indifferent as to whether or not the "Big Hurt" should remain in the everyday lineup, and am in no way suggesting Thomas is in the same caliber at this point of his career as Ortiz is.

And what can the Jays do when they do have an option in Stairs, who is taking advantage of his playing time?

We'll have to see exactly what Toronto manager John Gibbons intends to do with his platoon of Thomas and Stairs as the Blue Jays try to stay in contention in the AL East.

Thoughts? House, Rick, Cliff, and the Trouts - here's your chance to weigh in.

Rockies, Padres, and salaries...

The Colorado Rockies and San Diego Padres had another epic on Thursday night to follow up on their one-game playoff last October.

Thursday at Petco Park in San Diego, the Rockies and Padres went scoreless after nine innings as aces Jeff Francis and Jake Peavy both brought their "A" games to the mound.

After the Rockies scored in the 14th to break the deadlock, the Padres responded with a run of their own.

The game dragged on until Colorado got the go-ahead run in the 22nd inning, and hung on for the 2-1 victory.

Interesting game, if you happened to catch any or all of the action. But it only brought on a disagreement on the Zonk on OA (www.overanything.com), which once again had to do with players' salaries.

Someone commented that there was no sympathy for the players on both sides being tired from the 22 innings because they're all highly paid, which brought about the rebuttal as to why fans like to bring up salaries in any sporting discussion.

My question is, why shouldn't salaries be brought up? It's fair game since it's heavily publicized by the media.

Every time a top free agent flops, for example, he gets talked about a lot. Obviously, Barry Zito of the San Francisco Giants has been scrutinized by many already for not giving a lot of quality innings in his brief stint thus far in 'Frisco.

And seriously, shouldn't highly-paid athletes be expected to do more? I mean, if they have to play for over six hours, which was the length of the game in San Diego, so be it.

I mean, after all, a lot of hitters failed in the game to drive home the winning run in the first 21 innings.

So, if they had to play the equivalent of two full games and some, too bad.

How can it not be about money and salaries in professional sports?

Don't tell me that New York Mets fans out there are happy with Johan Santana's 1-2 start in the 2008 season. Yes, Santana has a fine 3.05 ERA and will turn his won-loss record around soon. I'm sure those who root for the Mets, however, expected a 3-0 record and an ERA around 1.50 instead.

I mean, the lefty is expected to be the savior in Queens and is making almost $17 million this season. And a 1-3 record for that money?

I made a big deal last season too about high-priced players' salaries, when Roger Clemens made his mid-season comeback for the cross-town Yankees and was outpitched in his second start by the less heralded Oliver Perez of the Mets. Clemens, by the way, had received a $28-million prorated contract to pitch for the Yanks--which worked out to about $4.5 mil per month--and Perez was just a .500 pitcher making less for the season than what the Rocket was earning in a month.

And throughout the 2007-08 hockey season, I also brought out salary comparisons (thanks to Globe and Mail's NHL salary database) when taking shots at high-priced goaltenders when they get outplayed by rookies or other lesser likes making ten times less money per season.

How can salary not be a factor in talking about athletes?

The Rockies-Padres game was the longest since 1993. And I point out something else that happened 15 years ago too, and it had to do with the feud between former Met ace Dwight Gooden and then manager Dallas Green.

I quote from Champions! The Saga of the 1996 New York Yankees by John Harper and Bob Klapisch, about Gooden recollecting an incident from '93:

Doc had suffered what he called "a real bad game" against Florida and was "hung out to dry" by Green.

"I just didn't have it that day. It was just one of those things," Gooden said. "But he (Green) kept sending me out there every inning... After the game, he told the reporters, 'Gooden makes a lot of money, he should pitch a lot of innings.'

Well, I would have to take Green's side here. After all, if you're the ace of the staff and you're one of the highest-paid players on the team--Gooden was No. 2 behind Bobby Bonilla on the '93 Mets--you damn well better suck it up for the team.

So, really, if the Rockies and Padres and any other team out there has to go 20-plus innings to settle a ballgame, that's their job.

No sympathy here.

Flaws with SOM -- (R-2-RJC Part 4)

I was having a conversation with Cliff C. here on the zonk about flaws with Strat-o-Matic.

Don't get me wrong; I play SOM regularly, but still, lots of things could be better.

- the computer manager often makes dubious decisions and lets middle relievers stay in far too long. Not only that, the computer manager usually doesn't do lefty-lefty pitcher-hitter matchups (ie. bring in a lefty pitcher when I have a lefthanded bat at the plate) the way real life baseball is managed.

- too many times, the starting pitcher stays in the game and pitches into the 10th innings...unheard of for over 30 years now (other than the rare occasions).

- star players actually get pinch-hit for by the computer manager in late innings, when it doesn't happen in real life.

I would like to add too, that the post-season settings aren't realistic. You still have a 40-man roster (because they expand rosters automatically after Sept. 1st) and your pitching rotation is screwed--they actually continue with a five-man rotation and use dubious starters to open the series--unless you go in and program them yourself or release all those players (because if you don't, someone that has a minor daily injury will be replaced by someone else on the roster, which isn't realistic).

And a whole lot of others...though I can't remember right now. Anyone else out there have such issues with the game?

Response to RJ Challenge, Part 3 !! :D

I've never liked the Yankees.

And in this post, I talk about Chien-Ming Wang and his struggles last night in the Bronx against the Red Sox.

Obviously, I am not a Wang fan, and the post clearly states that...

In the New York Yankees' 15-9 slugfest over the Boston Red Sox at the Bronx on Tuesday, Yankees starter Chien-Ming Wang was lucky.

Eight runs in four-plus innings, and Wang's ERA ballooned by over 2.5 runs.

And yet Wang still didn't get the loss.

Life must be good with all that run support.

Now, Wang's ERA is not so impressive anymore at 3.81 and only 13 K's in four starts.

That's why you don't hand out major awards in the first month of the season.

For more on this, check out:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/18272-Chien-Ming-Wang-Please-Don-t-Say-Cy-Young-170408

Response to R.Jessup's challenge! Part 2

Well, another post here, thanks to Rick Jessup challenging me to post regularly. I wonder where the housemates are too, since you all have posting access!

Here's some thoughts on Boston-Montreal:

What on earth is happening in the Boston-Montreal series?

The Boston Bruins were supposed to have been gone already, as many--including myself here on Bleacher Report--had written them off right from the start.

The Bruins drew the Montreal Canadiens in the first round of the playoffs, and the Habs had won 11 straight heading into the series.

For more on this, check out: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/18323-Bruins-Canadiens-Back-to-2004-

The fall of Ottawa?

Well, Rick Jessup has once again challenged me to post regularly, and I am *always* up for a challenge.

Where to begin today? Well, Ottawa...seems like a good topic.

The Senators, once untouchable this NHL season, has fallen embarrassingly in a four-game sweep against the upstart Penguins, losing 3-1 Wednesday night at Scotiabank Place.

How the mighty have fallen. The Sens were once the top seed in the Eastern Conference, and even Bryan Murray--who fired John Paddock mid-season and took over behind the bench himself--wasn't able to right the ship.

If I got this correctly, Ottawa lost 30 of their final 48 games. Ouch.

Meanwhile, just twenty minutes ago, I saw a commercial advertising this week's W5 program on CTV - about how the city of Ottawa is becoming the crime city in Canada. Wow.

Fitting that both the hockey team and crime rate in the Canadian capital are brutal. Too bad.

I can only think back a decade ago when the Sens were that ultimate underdog, the little team that could, that was looking to make history. Ten years later, one Cup appearance isn't bad, but this team could have done a whole lot more.

I guess you start criticizing the team because you want them to win. In this case, I've been hard on the Senators at times because I cheered for them at one point.

My favourite Senator of all time was Ron Tugnutt, the ultimate underdog goalie. In Quebec, the unfortunate Tugnutt played well but the Nordiques had no defense to bail him out on a nightly basis.

By the time Tugnutt got to Ottawa, he was finally able to get his chance to lead a team in the playoffs. And with Dominik Hasek out of the Buffalo Sabres' lineup, Tugnutt and the Sens took the favoured Buffalo team to seven games in the 1997 playoffs before bowing out in overtime.

And, one of the biggest upsets in the last ten years - the No. 8 Sens upset the No. 1 New Jersey Devils in the 1998 playoffs with Damian Rhodes outplaying Martin Brodeur. Awesome! Knocking off Brodeur and the 100-point Devils.

In 1999, it was Tugnutt and Rhodes splitting time almost equally in goal, and the Tugger had a sub-2.00 GAA. But the Sens drew Hasek's Sabres, and the Dominator was simply spectacular and Buffalo shockingly won in four straight.

I was upset at coach Jacques Martin for his passiveness behind the bench and for rotating Tugnutt and Rhodes in the playoffs. It was like I wanted to win more than he did.

And you can imagine how difficult it was to take when Ottawa traded Tugnutt the following year to Pittsburgh for Tom Barrasso. Tom Barrasso?? Surprisingly, Barrasso played well in the playoffs but made headlines for the wrong reason - he swore on camera, didn't he? - and Curtis Joseph was a tad better, leading the Maple Leafs past the Sens.

Meanwhile, in Pittsburgh, Tugnutt almost singlehandedly took the Pens into the third round. But alas, the 2-0 lead they had over the Philadelphia Flyers evaporated when they lost Game Three in OT. Game Four, another OT classic, took five extra periods before Keith Primeau ended things in favour of Philly. The Pens never recovered.

Damn Primeau.

And sticking with Tugnutt - I was upset he didn't re-sign with Pittsburgh. After all, the Pens were interested, and they had Jaromir Jagr, and Mario Lemieux was part-owner and could in theory, "un-retire" at any time (which he ultimately did the next season). But Tugnutt signed with a first-year expansion team - the Columbus Blue Jackets. Incredible.

After playing in Quebec and expansion Anaheim (in the Ducks' first year in the league), it was a shocker that Tugnutt wanted to go to yet another losing situation. Odd. (Well, if I remembered correctly, the Blue Jackets offered more money...)

Oh, right, Ottawa. 2003 - the Sens almost made it to the Finals, but fell victim to the Devils in Game Seven of the Eastern Conference Finals.

2008? Well, as Jessup was asking, which head will roll this time around?

We'll have to see.

Trout is famous!

I used Trout's line "Prolonging the inevitable" in my newest Bleacher article. Check it out at:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/17593-Sunday-Night-Thrillers-Bruins-Devils-Flames-Victorious-with-Improbable-Third-Game-Triumphs

Beware of scammers: a true story of Suzanna Chan, Windermere 1995

A story surfaced this week about more scammers claiming victims on Facebook.

Well, sooner or later, anyone would fall victim to such predators.

I am not one who shys away from speaking my mind and the truth about things I've witnessed, so...

This brings me to a true story of my experience with Suzanna Chan a dozen years ago.

Yes, there are many "Suzanna Chans" out there, so I will clarify by saying this is the one who graduated from Windermere Secondary in East Vancouver back in 1995.

A year after graduation, Suzanna, who knew I was interested in her friend Vicky Lam, approached me to "help" her out.

Young and naive at the time, why would I suspect anything was fishy? I mean, people at that age trusted each other--okay, I guess I was really naive.

Suzanna claimed that she didn't have enough Internet usage time with her university unix email account--because there was supposed to be a maximum 10 hours allowed for home usage with those email accounts--so, she wanted to know if she could use my account instead. You know, double her access time.

She added that she wanted to correspond with some guys via email too, and didn't want to use her own name and account. (And she showed me those emails too--some guy actually sent her a $10 Amazon gift voucher.)

There was some verbal agreement that she would help set me up with her friend, so I thought, hey, why not?

After all, I did not use my university email account that much, and not really thinking about it, agreed.

The other kicker was that Suzanna knew that a friend of mine was interested in her buddy Ann Kwan, and so this way, could perhaps try to test him using my identity.

But, to make a long story short, Suzanna then later borrowed $700 from me, claiming that she had lost some money from bad investments and didn't want her family to know. Even though she came from a well-off family and had lots of other friends, she picked on me--again, fishy but I didn't really catch on to it.

Don't tell anyone, was what she told me. (Anytime someone says that, run.)

And she made comments like she didn't want to be seen with me in public, and she mis-pronounced my name on purpose, every chance she got. (Much like the alleged stories of how Steinbrenner referred to Showalter as "Bucky.")

Next thing you knew, by the due date, she avoided contact with me. When I called her house, there was one time I remembered she hung up on me and other times her little sister or other family members said she wasn't around.

I finally did manage to track her down and told her off, but the damage was done.

It was a while later, when I got a phone call from campus RCMP.

The constable got me in there and accused me of sending harrassing emails--and I immediately suspected who was behind it. I had no proof, but I named both Suzanna and her friend, and told the constable that I had given out my password info to SC, who might have given it to her buddy.

The other thing was, a little time later, I suddenly got blacklisted from Allan Chee and his gang--the group of guys that I had participated in in an online simulation league called the BCHL.

I remember reading a blurb on the Internet about three years ago, about some girl and guy with the same names (ie. SC and AC) living together at an East Van address.

That made some sense to me.

Anyway, I have not contacted any of those people for over 10 years now, and I have no proof who sent out the emails using my account. That part of the story is pure speculation.

But one thing for sure was, I was royally duped by Suzanna Chan. Again, I was young and naive, but it just goes to show, anyone could be tricked.

12 years after the fact, I am not accusing anyone here because I have no evidence. However, again, the truth of the matter was, I was tricked on two occasions, so that's what I am emphasizing here.

Anyone could be scammed.

Hope that it won't be you readers out there.

Have a good day.

Big companies stealing money from people

So, even the big companies are stealing from little folk like me. And, a famous pizzaria is treating customers like crap.

First things first, the big company in question is a well-known telephone service provider. Its name starts with the letter "T", and let's just say the name rhymes with "Phyllis."

So, I was behind in payment for this phone company on my residential line, and made a lumpsum payment of $158 on March 17 by Internet banking.

Only my next bill came--dated some 12 days later--saying I still owed that money.

I immediately called the company to verify the balance. Yup, that payment was not received. And since it was already nighttime, there were no live representatives to help me with this.

I double checked on the bank account and realized that I had erroneously sent the payment to the WRONG phone account. I had sent the payment to my inactive mobility account, which had been closed for a couple years.

So, the next morning, I called up the company and asked them to transfer the $158 from the inactive mobility account to the normal residential account. Yes, it was my fault, my error, but you would think in this day and age with fast transfer of accounts and such, this was not hard to fix.

Only the customer service rep told me he couldn't fix this, and had to transfer me to the Mobility department.

I explained my problem to the rep there, and she put me on hold for 10 minutes--ensuring I would be late for work (since I made the phone call at home).

(And when I was on hold, I was thinking that since the head teacher is consistently late himself, I wasn't too stressed out about the fact that I was going to be late. So there...he can't possibly say anything to me otherwise it would be hypocritical.)

So, 10 minutes later, the CSR came back and said they NEVER received the payment!! She claimed that I would have to call up my bank and do a "stop payment" because they (the phone company) "never received it."

Of course, very easy to verify - I called up the bank and was told that T---lus DID receive the payment, and it might have gone into their general account--ie. the lost account where misguided funds go to--and would send in a request on my behalf to get that refunded back.

So, basically, this phone service provider was ready to just STEAL my money and shrug it off like they didn't receive it. If I didn't check my own records--and waste a lot of time in the process by following up and being on hold, etc.--I would have been duped.

So, thanks for nothing, "Phyllis."

Anyway, never did I, at any point during this phone conversations, lose my temper or yell at anyone. If I weren't a mild-mannered person, I probably would have lashed out.

But on the same day, I went to this pizza place for lunch. Let's call it "D's" Pizza. It is, after all, a big American franchise.

Now, I don't know first hand if the cashier was having a bad day, or she simply hated her job, but she never at any point crack a smile to greet or talk to me.

When I asked her a question about toppings, she was NOT friendly and her tone/attitude was like I was asking a dumb question.

No sign or respect at all.

And when I gave her the debit card to pay for the order, she swiped it and put the card down, and didn't even bother to pass the debit pin device (whatever it's called) to me.

So I stood there for a couple seconds thinking it wasn't processed yet and waiting for her to hand it to me, only to realize she wasn't going to do it. I guess too big of her to do something simple.

Okay, again, if I weren't an easy-going person, she would have gotten an earful.

So, once again, these types of incidents have proven to me that these big corporations/companies are faceless, gutless outfits that just care about your money and don't bother to provide good service.

Well, if we're going to play this game, next time, if I go back to that pizza place, she ain't getting my card. She's going to get a handful of pennies thrown down on the counter--the kind of respect that she deserves.

This week's posts- April '08

Posts this week on BR:
1) Red Sox lose third straight at Rogers Centre- 04/06/08
2) Red Sox lose thanks to Snyder... - 04/05/08
3) Bruins-Habs AGAIN- 04/05/08
4) Henrik to Daniel..score?- 04/04/08
5) Anderson (Panthers) kills Hurricanes- 04/04/08
6) Leafs-Sens preview- 04/03/08

All can be found on http://bleacherreport.com/users/2135-KP_Wee or just click on the "Favourite Links" on the left.

I am the best

Once again, I have shown my abilities when it comes to my job. Regardless of whether or not I get along with other fellow teachers, that's all irrelevant.

Yesterday during the graduation celebrations, I was told by a student (MK) that I am the No. 1 teacher out of all the ones that she has been taught by in Canada. No one at the table disagreed.

Why? Passion for teaching, well-preparedness, and so on.

Once again, I can look myself in the mirror and say that I care about what I do, and I do it well.

Shame on all those teachers who play the "I-don't-make-enough-money-so-I-shouldn't-try-hard" card. I don't work FOR those idiots. I am certainly not part of their gang.

And thus, the fact that I can do my job well makes me continue staying there, despite the fact that I could very well have done something that pays more.

Am I stupid? Well, if so, that's fine. I don't care what others among my peers think, to begin with.

As far as the market research stuff, I am still - in my humble opinion - doing well as team leader. So, status quo there too.

New Posts this week (end of March)

1) A look at the Northwest Division (March 25, 08)
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/14651-NHL-Florida_Panthers-Calgary_Flames-Colorado_Avalanche-A_mini-look_at_the_Canucks_last_two_outings_Who_will_win_the_wild_Northwest_-250308

2) Boston-Oakland in Japan (March 25, 08)
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/14534-MLB-Boston_Red_Sox-Oakland_Athletics-Red_Sox-Athletics_Boston_Wins_in_Japan_Thanks_to_Vet_and_Rookie-250308

3) Stars bashing (March 23, 08)
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/14270-NHL-Dallas_Stars-Dallas_Hockey_Falling_Stars_Lose_Again-230308

Posts this week on Bleacher

Wow, is it really March 21st already??!? That means it's been 10 days since I last posted on here, and I am starting to pull a "Jessup." Hahaha.... truth be told, it's been once again very busy for me as I've had to do my teaching gig along with the market research, plus polish off novella no. 2 and submit articles to Bleacher Report.

Nonetheless, here are this week's posts on Bleacher -- check them out at http://www.bleacherreport.com/.

1a) Bruins, Flyers, Sabres look to make playoffs - March 21
1b) Bruins bashing - March 20
2) Bashing on teams that pass up on Bonds - March 18
3) Dallas Stars bashing - March 16
4) Sharks & Rangers' streaks - March 15
5) Phoenix's rise - March 14
6) Detroit beats Dallas - March 14
7) Capitals bashing - March 11

I promise to post again before Jessup's next one on OA.com!

This week's posts, just for Trout

Well, another busy week. I've lost count, Trout, but I am sure it's close to 50-50.

Anyway, posts this week--and you know where to find them:
1) Vancouver's latest embarrassments vs. Blues & Kings (Mon, Mar 10)
2) Devils-Leafs Saturday & Eastern roundup (Sun, Mar 9)
3) Bruins-Caps Saturday & Eastern preview (Sat, Mar 8)
4) It's about time! Thoughts on my "favourite" NFLer (Thurs, Mar 6)
5) Vancouver-Colorado: Another "L"... meaning more fun times (Tues, Mar 4)

St. Patrick's Day today??

I learned something today... March 2nd is "St. Patrick's Day", especially if you're the Canucks.... hahaha...

More fun times for Canucks haters:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/11635-NHL-Chicago_Blackhawks-Vancouver_Canucks-Blackhawks-Canucks_St_Patrick_s_Day_in_Chicago-020308

Trout, BBJ, R.T., come out to play!

So, Trout, here I am again, posting for your sake. Say, you want posting access, Trout?

And where's Rick or House? Cliff? Don't you all have posting access? Regardless, never mind the Blue Jays' outfield/DH/1B dilemna with Thomas, Lind, Stewart, Wells, Rios, Johnson, et al. What about the Angels?

So, at least the five of us (myself, Trout, Rick, House, Cliff) as well as Mr. BBJ can discuss about this. And if R.T., CFB or THH would like to participate too, let's hear what you've got to say! Feel free to comment on the Jays too!

1. Angels' outfield situation:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/11564-MLB-Los_Angeles_Angels_of_Anaheim-My_take_on_the_Angels_outfield_situation_To_DH_or_not_DH_-010308

2. Vancouver hockey talk:
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/11553-NHL-Vancouver_Canucks-Canucks-Jackets_Recap_Canucks_lose_lose_and_lose_A_beautiful_week_for_Canucks_haters-010308

Anyway, guys, enjoy the read, and look forward to more stuff soon.

Update on personal project

I really could care less about anonymous idiots leaving cuss-ladened posts on my blogs/articles. Those that choose to use profanity really demonstrate how intelligent they are to begin with.

UPDATE: NON-FICTION SHORT STORY SET TO BE PUBLISHED CIRCA JUNE 2008; CONTRACT ALREADY SIGNED WITH BOOK PUBLISHER JANUARY '08. I don't usually brag about myself as writing is really just a matter of self-fulfillment/personal satisfaction, but since a lot of anonymous people wonder.... well, there's your answer. And no, I don't care one bit if any naysayers read it or what they have to say.

Who cares about anon posters?

And I guess I have one-upped Rick... getting published before even the great Rick!

New post just for Trout...

This post is dedicated to Trout, Rick, and all the mates on zonk. Hopefully this will generate some discussion on here instead of just the rants me and House had on the GST thing.

And things have gotten quiet since RT has vanished... :-(

And Trout, hopefully this will not be inconvenience for you!!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/11359-NHL-New_Jersey_Devils-Ottawa_Senators-Memorable_coaching_changes_in_the_NHL-280208

The Ottawa Senators fired head coach John Paddock on Wednesday (Feb. 27), with GM Bryan Murray taking over.

The Sens, who had been leading the Eastern Conference from Day One until just recently, have been playing poorly of late. Back-to-back shutout losses (5-0 and 4-0 to the Maple Leafs and Bruins, respectively) paved the way for Paddock's firing.

Whispers have been that the team had quit on Paddock, as the team that started out the season 15-2-0 has struggled in recent weeks, allowing the New Jersey Devils, Pittsburgh Penguins, and Montreal Canadiens to catch up in the standings.

Some will blame GM Murray instead of the team's woes, for the failure to move controversial goaltender Ray Emery and being unable to acquire Nikolai Khabibulan and Marian Hossa, two players that the Senators were rumored to be after prior to the trade deadline.

Will the coaching change have any significant impact on the Senators?

We will find out once the playoffs starts.

For now though, let's take a trip back to memory lane and look at some other memorable mid-season coaching changes by playoff-bound teams.

The New Jersey Devils were leading the Eastern Conference for much of the 1999-2000 season, and Martin Brodeur looked to break Bernie Parent's single-season wins record by a goaltender. However, thanks to a mini-slump by the team (5-10-2 in 17 games) near the end, GM Lou Lamoriello fired coach Robbie Ftorek with only eight games left.

Larry Robinson, Ftorek's replacement, guided the Devils to a 4-4 record in the remaining regular season games and the team finished two points behind Philadelphia for the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.

The team, however, woke up in the Eastern Conference Finals.

With the Devils down three games to one to the Flyers, Robinson called out his team to the media. The players seemingly listened, and the Devils rallied for three straight wins to get to the Stanley Cup Final, where they beat the Dallas Stars to capture their second championship in six seasons.

In a similar move last season, Lamoriello was at it again, firing coach Claude Julien on April 2, 2007 despite the Devils' 47-24-8 record.

Meanwhile, a similiar fate happened to Ftorek again in Boston three seasons after his New Jersey experience. When he was fired in 2000, Ftorek had guided the Devils to 41 wins in their first 74 games. While with the Bruins in 2002-03, his record was 33-28-8-4 but he again got the boot with only nine games left as Boston GM Mike O'Connell took over.

The 2006-07 Devils and 2002-03 Bruins didn't accomplish much in the playoffs following the coaching changes.

But what could top the mess that took place in New York in 1988-89? Rangers bench boss Michel Bergeron was fired by GM Phil Esposito with two games remaining in the season, with the Blueshirts having already clinched a playoff berth ages ago--but had allowed Washington and Pittsburgh to overtake them in the standings.

With New York on a 3-10-0 slide and losers of three straight, Bergeron was relieved on April Fool's, with Esposito taking over with just two days (and two games) left before the season ended.

The Rangers lost both games, and then fell in four straight to the Penguins once the playoffs rolled around.

So, what will happen to the 2007-08 Senators?

Will Murray's impact on Ottawa be similar to that of Robinson's in New Jersey eight seasons ago, or will it be irrelevant a la Esposito in New York a couple decades ago?

Discuss.

Proud to be Canadian?

Over the past 5 years, CBC Marketplace has done a bang-up job in uncovering hidden secrets about companies and their awful practices, which leads one to wonder: Why on earth are they allowed to get away with it all?

Since 2003, there have been stories on the program about harmful cleaning products that aren't regulated, banks that scam customers in mortgage insurance, medical ghost-writing where drug companies cover up negative side-effects of their products, a well-known electronic store that aggressively sells extended warranties with false promises, and so on.

Companies pretty much scam consumers and they get away with it.

Is that what consumers deserve?

In the past couple of weeks, we've heard about how companies have quietly raised prices in response to the GST cut. An opera house, in particular, refused to honour the printed prices on its brochure, and in fact was going to make a lot more profit out of it.

Kudos to Tim Horton's and Starbucks, among others, whose prices have remained static.

Also, two weeks ago, the program ran the story about a Canadian who was denied mortgage insurance when he became sick, and another one whose family was also denied when he died.

Basically, what allegedly happens is that bank employees are told to aggressively sell mortgage insurance despite the fact that they are 1) unlicensed, 2) not concerned about informing the customer about the specific details.

So this basically means you'll have to hire a lawyer when signing on the dotted line.

Again, this begs the question: What kind of world do we live in?

Five years ago, a story came out on CBC Marketplace claiming that a certain electronic chain--which shall remain unnamed--aggressively promotes extended warranties. Employees were told to sell them (and maintain a target) or else, according to a former employee.

And one teenager who paid for the warranty was told if the gadget broke, all he had to do was bring it back for a replacement.

Guess what he got.

And the intriguing thing was that if you went to different locations--which the reporter did (to three stores, no less), with a hidden camera--you will find that warranties on the same product DIFFER in price! Depends on the person selling it, I guess.

And the sales clerks recorded on camera all claim that even if you dropped the product and it broke, you would be entitled to a replacement.

Lies.

Of course, that chain denied it all, but who would you believe? The former employee, or the store?

And just last week, I went to that store, and of course, one of the sales clerks was aggressive in selling that useless piece of paper.

I guess the more things change, the more they stay the same.

What a disgrace, when one of the top five banks in Canada is implicated... along with those other big corporations trying to scam consumers.

Open letter to Canucks fans

I posted on Bleacher Report today in response to the Canucks' fans taking shots at me. There, I put my name out there and dished out the hits. I am not scared or intimidated that I would hide behind a fake name or sign in as "anonymous."

Should a long-time superstar be able to veto a trade and not get ripped by the media?

The issue here has been magnified in 2007-08 when Toronto's Mats Sundin repeatedly refused to waive his no-trade clause (an announcement which came out on Sunday, two days prior to the trade deadline), and interim general manager Cliff Fletcher has been forced to hang on to the Maple Leafs' captain instead of dealing him for prospects.

The Leafs have been in the midst of a non-playff campaign, and have been floundering around 14th place in the 15-team Eastern Conference for much of February--the weeks leading up to the Feb. 26th trade deadline.

The Toronto media, for two months, had wanted Sundin traded so that the Maple Leafs could rebuild for the upcoming seasons.

Sundin, however, stating on Sunday that he didn't believe in the "rental player" concept, wanted to remain a Leaf and did not waive the no-trade clause.

Sundin, who had never played on a Stanley Cup winner, reportedly had drawn interest from contenders like Detroit (who had the best record in the NHL), Anaheim (defending champion), Ottawa (who had been the top seed in the East until trade deadline weekend), Montreal, and San Jose.

So, the debate here is, should a long-time star be able to pull this off, and hamper the team's rebuilding plans?

Sundin is 37, and the Leafs are facing the prospects of missing the playoffs for the third straight year, a first in franchise history. What good would hanging onto Sundin do for the Leafs?

One thing to consider is that Sundin has never led the Leafs to a Stanley Cup Final in his 13 seasons with the club.

But what if a guy has led his team to a championship or two? Should he be allowed to pull off the same stunt?

My take on this is that no one player is bigger than the team.

If the player really wants what's good for the team and respects the organization, shouldn't he be willing to accept a trade so that 1) he could go to a contender and have a shot at a championship, 2) the club could rebuild with young players?

The other side to consider is that Sundin has a no-trade clause, and any player, for that matter, who has veto power, could choose to exercise it. No one forced management to dole out that kind of agreement. So again, it's not as though the player is holding the team hostage. He is simply exercising his right, in this case, to remain with the club.

There is a difference between vetoing a trade because you want to be traded to a better team, and vetoing it because you truly want to remain with the club and finish the season--and perhaps your career--there.

In Sundin's case, it seemed it was the latter.

Does this make it right?

Well, my contention is that if a player truly wants what's best for the club, then accept the trade. It might help the team, and who knows, if he is a free-agent to-be, he may be able to negotiate with the original club and come back for the following season.

After all, the reason the team is trying to deal the player must be due to the fact that it is struggling and likely not going to make the playoffs. In theory, the team might get a high draft (Toronto fans want Steven Stamkos) pick and also reap benefits by dealing away the star player and get some prospects at the same time.

Isn't that a win-win situation?

Those who say that Sundin--or any player in that position--has "earned the right" to dictate what he wants after spending that many years

in the organization, should again be reminded: No one player is bigger than the team.

Players do not manage; they play.

I will say this: Sundin showed that during his tenure in the Leafs organization, he was a player with integrity and class. Sundin should be respected for his desire to finish the season with his team as opposed to agreeing to be a rental player and chase championships for his own glory--unlike, say, Ray Bourque, who left Boston to win that Stanley Cup.

Sundin deserved respect from all sports fans--that much I agree.

However, all that aside, he should have agreed to be traded for the good of the team--that's my take on this whole issue.

This week's posts

Well Trout, it's 27 sports blogs in 27 days now!
This week, I've decided to just post on Bleacher Report instead of here. Check them out there!
- Clemens' legacy (Feb 24, 08)
- Alleged photo evidence on Clemens (Feb 23, 08)
- Flyers and Wings look to rebound tonight (Feb 23, 08)
- Sens vs Pens - could Pittsburgh take over first place? (Feb 23, 08)
- Leafs win and win again (Boston & Columbus) (Feb 20, 08)
- Vancouver-Edmonton preview (Feb 16, 08)

If you do the math, it's 27 sports blogs in 27 days!

Luongo Controversy

This morning, a couple of talk show hosts from a Vancouver sports radio station (Team 1040) were commenting on the Roberto Luongo pad issue.

For those of you who haven't heard, the Dallas Stars allegedly complained to the NHL before the start of last year's playoffs that the Canucks goalie's knee flaps--which stuck out of his pads--gave him an unfair advantage. If you were to believe the charges, those flaps were supposedly helping Luongo make more saves.

Then in December, Stars goalies Marty Turco and Mike Smith jokingly put on home-made mock flaps during a morning skate to perhaps seemingly further insinuate that Luongo's pads had been illegal.

In reality, the knee flaps worn by Luongo supposedly are for protective purposes and nothing more, and some other goalies in the league use them too, most notably Stanley Cup champion J.S. Giguerre of the Ducks.

A couple months ago when the complaints by the Stars surfaced, the NHL had allowed Luongo to continue using the pads after checking the equipment. And that was also okayed during the Stars-Canucks first-round playoff series last spring too.

The reason that this is now an issue is that the league has apparently reversed its ruling, and has asked Luongo to remove the flaps.

And get this: apparently other goalies in the league will still be allowed to wear theirs.

Double standards? In professional sports? Welcome to the NHL.

Not that I sympathize with Luongo, of course, as I do not root for the Canucks.

But apparently an unofficial statement issued by Kay Whitmore--a former Canuck goalie who is now part of the league's "goalie police" department dealing with equipment issues--to The Province, a newspaper in Vancouver, was that the controversial ruling was handed down was due to the way Luongo was wearing his pads.

My take on this is that goalies shouldn't be allowed to wear big pads to begin with, so the league definitely needs to start cracking down on goalie equipment issues.

But getting back to the comments made by the morning show hosts in Vancouver, this is supposedly a good thing.

According to them, this ruling will motivate Luongo to take his game to the next level. Play with a chip on his shoulder, and prove to the rest of the league that he can be one of the world's best goalies in spite of this gamesmanship displayed by the Stars.

Hello? Make Luongo mad and he'll shut the door on the rest of the league?

What do these media guys know anyway?

Has Luongo proven to be in the same class as a guy like Patrick Roy, who you can certainly suggest played well when challenged in that manner?

Roy was a multiple Stanley Cup winner.

What has Luongo won?

One playoff round in his NHL career, that's what.

For these talk show hosts to even remotely suggest that Luongo may now step up and take charge because of this controversy is laughable.

Now, the hosts didn't mention Roy's name, but if you try and read between the lines, it's like saying that Luongo is suddenly going to have this unbeatable aura because of this controversy and have a "us-against-the-world" mentality.

Very few athletes have been able to take it to that kind of level. Certainly none in Vancouver's non-storied history as far as I know. Certainly not in Luongo's repetoire either.

But perhaps now the media guys are going to say that Vancouver should plan a parade for this team come June too. Better start printing those Stanley Cup tickets and plan a route for the championship celebrations!

And oh, by the way, guess what. Peter Forsberg isn't going to Vancouver either.

I guess the Vancouver media will suggest that the Canucks will land Mats Sundin or some other big name before the trading deadline too!

Is there anyone else out there who has a take on this goalie equipment/Luongo controversy? Discuss.

Radical Baseball Wild Card Format

Purists and critics have complained that far too many wild card teams in baseball have been winning or making it to the World Series.

These teams weren't even good enough to win their own division, for crying out loud!

Yet, once these second-place outfits get on a roll and get into the post-season, they start knocking other teams off.

In 2007, it was the Colorado Rockies in the National League. The 2006 Tigers and 2005 Astros also made it to the Fall Classic.

The 2004 Red Sox used the wild card route to make the post-season before stunning the world with their record-setting triumph over the Yankees in the ALCS and an anti-climatic sweep over St. Louis in the Fall Classic.

1997 and 2003 Marlins. 2002 Angels and Giants. And on and on.

Based on the current format, wild card teams do not have home-field advantage in the Division Series or League Championship Series, regardless of their won-loss records. (It's possible for a wild card team to have a better record than a division winner, but the latter will have the extra home game.)

Well, if wild card teams in baseball are havin so much success--or luck--why not give them more of a disadvantage, or penalty, if you will, for not winning their divisions?

At the present time, the Division Series is a best-of-five, with the series going 2-2-1 and the wild card team having the middle two games.

A wild card team could potentially split the first two, go home for the middle two games and sweep them, and move on to the League Championship Series.

I propose the following to eliminate such an "advantage" for these non-division champs:

Let the wild card host the first game.

Yes, you heard me right. The first game should be hosted by the "inferior" team.

Then here's the kicker.

The division winner will then host the remaining four games of the series.

That's right, a 1-4 format, with the wild card team getting just one home game, and it can't come in any of the "key" or pivotal middle games.

If a wild card team can survive that, then kudos to that team.

And let's say that team makes it past the Division Series and moves on to the League Championship Series, again, the current 2-3-2 format could be favorable.

Again, split the first two, and get the next three at home. What disadvantage is that?

My solution:

3-2-2, with the division champ hosting five of a possible seven contests.

Again, under this proposed format, if the wild card team somehow survives the first three games going 2-1, this forces them to have to win their lone two home games, otherwise they have to return to enemy territory to try and advance to the World Series.

This probably will never happen, but if baseball wants to eliminate the wild card "advantage", they must go an unconventional route in order to accomplish this.

Does anyone else out there have any bright ideas for the wild card? Discuss.

Should a team get a point for losing?

Should a team get a point for losing?

Of course, everyone who follows hockey knows this.

The NHL awards teams that lose in overtime and in the tie-breaking shootout a single point, while the winning team gets two points.

Huh?

How can there be a total of three points awarded (to both teams) when a regulation game awards only two?

Strange.

Yes, I understand the league's reasoning behind it.

Previously, before the NHL started adopting the "extra point" rule (and before shootouts were used), teams could basically be tied after regulation, and then play it conservatively in the OT period and pray for that single point. Be aggressive and go for it, and have it backfire if the other team scores, and you lose everything. No points for a 60+ minute effort.

Thus, coaches preached playing it safe, and skate away after that five-minute OT session with a single point.

Yes, I get that.

So, the single point that is now awarded for OT and shootout losses is supposedly going to make teams go for it and not worry about losing if they get caught in odd-man breaks.

Teams could go for it and try to score, knowing that they have already secured that "loser" point regardless of what happens next. If they actually win, they get two points.

Yes, I know that too.

And, with a lot of games being close and all these extra bonus points awarded for losses, it has created a more competitive game--on the ice and in the standings.

For example, just randomly taking a look at the standings, say on February 14, 2008, you will see the following scenarios:

Toronto, despite being last in the Eastern Conference with 55 points (and second last overall in the entire league), was just 8 points behind eighth-place Boston (63) for the final playoff spot in the conference.

The Maple Leafs had been inconsistent all year long during the 2007-08 season, and had blown third-period and last-minute leads in several games. And they had those bonus points to show for their failures, and those points had piled up and made it seem like they still had a shot.

That's what the NHL is trying to do, trying to create this competitive balance. Teams that still think they are in the playoff race will probably not want to tank the season and start a fire sale. Good for the league, good for fan interest, et cetera, et cetera.

However, the problem here is that this system is giving fans false hope.

Tampa Bay, with 56 points on the same day, was No. 14 in the conference, but was only 6 points away from being tied for the division lead in the mediocre Southeast Division. If the Lightning went on a hot streak, they might well catch up to the division leaders and could see themselves in third place in the entire conference (since division winners were ranked 1-2-3 in the conference standings).

And just to look at this humorously for a second, a team could basically go 0-0-82 (ie. not win any games, losing all 82 games in overtime or in the shootout) and get 82 points. That's a .500 record, for not winning a single game. Wow.

Professional athletes--hockey players, that is, as we shall see in a second--are getting paid big bucks but need to be rewarded with these consolation points.

Teams can proudly proclaim that "this is the greatest season in history" and point to the high point-total that is inflated by those loser points. And perhaps jack up ticket prices too.

But seriously, is there any other league out there amongst the "big four" in North America that awards points to losers?

Nope. Not in Major League Baseball. If you lose a 23-inning marathon, that's too bad. You get nothing in the standings. Just go out and play again the next day (or same day).

Not in basketball. You keep playing until someone loses. And your team could score 150 points in the game and not be rewarded in the standings. If you lose the game.

Not in football. You lose in overtime because your kicker blew it but the other team's didn't. Well, you might have to go home while the other teams play on in the playoffs.

The only other comparable situation would be the Canadian Football League (CFL), where a missed field goal could result in a single point. But the CFL is not really a major league, so I digress.

Anyway, the point here is, the concept of giving points to losing teams is a bit goofy. No other leagues do it.

So why the NHL?

Lots of things don't make sense in the NHL, but this loser point system is one that is so ridiculous that other leagues don't even bother.